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Son of a Wing

17yr old hockey player charged for on-ice assault.

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WOODSTOCK, Ont. — A 17-year-old hockey player has been charged with assault causing bodily harm in connection with an on-ice incident during a game earlier this year in Woodstock, Ont., police said Wednesday.

Police say they received a criminal complaint on Jan. 14 alleging that a player was assaulted by another player during a hockey game in the city the previous day.

Video of the game was reviewed and witnesses interviewed, and police say the Crown attorney’s office was also consulted about whether charges could be laid “in the forum of a hockey game.”

“We are very well aware the subject of this investigation has garnered intense public attention across Canada and we respect there are passionate opinions on both sides of the physical aspect of hockey,” said Woodstock police Chief Rod Freeman.

“The decision to lay a criminal charge was not taken lightly and was based on an objective review of the evidence, including video evidence, and on factually based legal opinions from the Crown attorney’s office.”

The 17-year-old who is charged cannot be identified under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

He’s to appear in court in Woodstock on July 11.

http://youtu.be/2EDlSlalj8Y

Like to hear some opinions. Two basic schools of thought here:

1. He instigated the events by being unsportsmanlike through snowing the goaltender of a losing team and proceeded to not defend himself. You can't poke the bear and then cry victim.

2. What lead to the altercation is irrelevant. The actions taken on by the opposing teams player have no place in or outside a rink. The assault was excessive and he should be charged accordingly.

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You know, played a couple Canadian teams during summer hockey and this was very common the teams I played. I couldn't tell you how many times there were fights going on in the games, granted everyone still had there helmet on but Canadian teams would come to America tournaments and think they run s***.

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I wonder if they would be filing this if their son didn't get his ass kicked. Can't really say I feel sorry for him, I know the other guy certainly went full retard, but still IDK i just can't get behind an assault charge being used in this case. Perhaps the roller hockey incident but not so much this.

Edited by ben_usmc

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I don't get why ANY parent would want their kids to have a successful career in hockey, yet think the sport was dangerously violent. Surely it's not for the money? :innocent:

Also, why the hell did that guy not cover up when he was getting his ass kicked instead of kneeling upright like a human punching bag. What an odd story. The guy snow showers the hell out of the goalie and then just takes a beating. Odd.

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School of thought #1 is utterly idiotic.

Committing an unsportsmanlike penalty doesn't warrant what happened to that kid. He also didn't "not defend himself" he was never given any opportunity to.

Its not like the guy came up and challenged him to a fight, he threw a crosscheck to the side of the head of a defenceless player, then proceeded to give him a beating while he was already likely concussed. The guy was likely angry that his team was getting smoked and he was looking to exact some revenge from the first player who stepped out of line.

I think the charge was absolutely warranted and I don't think the league gave him even close to a sufficient punishment. That the Woodstock player was suspended at all is a joke, but I wouldn't be upset if the Brantford player was given a permanent ban from minor hockey.

There is no room in the game for that kind of cowardly garbage.

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School of thought #1 is utterly idiotic.

Committing an unsportsmanlike penalty doesn't warrant what happened to that kid. He also didn't "not defend himself" he was never given any opportunity to.

Its not like the guy came up and challenged him to a fight, he threw a crosscheck to the side of the head of a defenceless player, then proceeded to give him a beating while he was already likely concussed. The guy was likely angry that his team was getting smoked and he was looking to exact some revenge from the first player who stepped out of line.

I think the charge was absolutely warranted and I don't think the league gave him even close to a sufficient punishment. That the Woodstock player was suspended at all is a joke, but I wouldn't be upset if the Brantford player was given a permanent ban from minor hockey.

There is no room in the game for that kind of cowardly garbage.

I have to disagree. When you go in and spray a goalie like that, you know what can happen. I used to do stuff like that all the time to get under the skin of the other team, but i never did it thinking nothing would ever happen.

I do think the player went too far, but if #11 doesn't spray the goalie it doesn't happen.

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A few additional points:

-The score was already a blowout at 7-2 making the snowing that much more of a rub

-The refs obviously did a horrendous job controlling the matter. As shown in the video they literally just stand there and watch until it's almost over.

-I'd like to state its much more "cowardly" to snow a goalie in a blowout win than to stick up for your goalie in that matter. Overboard? Hell yes but not cowardly.

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Guest Playmaker

Its one thing to start a fight, but quite another to continue to pummel a guy who's clearly injured and struggling, especially over snowing the goalie. That goes against any hockey code or rule that's out there. It's the difference between a tough guy and a DB.

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Guest Johnz96

A few additional points:

-The score was already a blowout at 7-2 making the snowing that much more of a rub

-The refs obviously did a horrendous job controlling the matter. As shown in the video they literally just stand there and watch until it's almost over.

-I'd like to state its much more "cowardly" to snow a goalie in a blowout win than to stick up for your goalie in that matter. Overboard? Hell yes but not cowardly.

School of thought #1 is utterly idiotic.

Committing an unsportsmanlike penalty doesn't warrant what happened to that kid. He also didn't "not defend himself" he was never given any opportunity to.

Its not like the guy came up and challenged him to a fight, he threw a crosscheck to the side of the head of a defenceless player, then proceeded to give him a beating while he was already likely concussed. The guy was likely angry that his team was getting smoked and he was looking to exact some revenge from the first player who stepped out of line.

I think the charge was absolutely warranted and I don't think the league gave him even close to a sufficient punishment. That the Woodstock player was suspended at all is a joke, but I wouldn't be upset if the Brantford player was given a permanent ban from minor hockey.

There is no room in the game for that kind of cowardly garbage.

He crosschecked the kid from behind and then proceeded to pummel a defenseless victim and went way overboard. The guy is a ****** and deserves to be punished.

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Its one thing to start a fight, but quite another to continue to pummel a guy who's clearly injured and struggling, especially over snowing the goalie. That goes against any hockey code or rule that's out there. It's the difference between a tough guy and a DB.

He crosschecked the kid from behind and then proceeded to pummel a defenseless victim and went way overboard. The guy is a ****** and deserves to be punished.

I agree it was completely overboard. Way out of line. There's no condoning how far he took it.

However....what exactly did he think was going to happen? The game was already out of hand with previous fights/misconducts and a blowout score. To do what he did to the goalie and not expect some immediate repercussion is pretty naive.

All I'm saying is I believe he should take some responsibility for provoking the entire situation in an obviously out-of-hand game. That doesn't mean he deserves what he got or that the other player isn't entirely responsible for his own actions. Just show some acceptance that he knew exactly what he was doing (being classless and baiting the other team) and should have been more than aware that the other team would respond in a violent way.

If you're going to be a pest and do stupid things like that be aware of your surrounding and get your damn hands up.

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Guest Crymson
1. He instigated the events by being unsportsmanlike through snowing the goaltender of a losing team and proceeded to not defend himself. You can't poke the bear and then cry victim.

While I agree that hockey is a violent sport, there is no logical, practical, or inherent connection between snow-showering a goalie and getting your face pounded in. Indeed, that seems like quite a bit of an overreaction.

I agree it was completely overboard. Way out of line. There's no condoning how far he took it.

However....what exactly did he think was going to happen? The game was already out of hand with previous fights/misconducts and a blowout score. To do what he did to the goalie and not expect some immediate repercussion is pretty naive.

Clearly he didn't expect to be crosschecked to the head and pummeled without mercy. If the culprit doesn't get convicted, he should certainly receive a very lengthy suspension---and perhaps mandatory anger management classes.

Edited by Crymson

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I have to disagree. When you go in and spray a goalie like that, you know what can happen. I used to do stuff like that all the time to get under the skin of the other team, but i never did it thinking nothing would ever happen.

I do think the player went too far, but if #11 doesn't spray the goalie it doesn't happen.

I'm sure he thought he might have to fight someone...not have a stick smashed into his head followed by several punches to his face when he's already down and defenceless.

Even the most hardcore fight lovers agree that once a guy is down you stop throwing...He was done after the cross check.

I also think that the offender would have just jumped someone else if it wasn't him...Brantford had already had several players tossed from the game for trying to start fights.

A few additional points:

-I'd like to state its much more "cowardly" to snow a goalie in a blowout win than to stick up for your goalie in that matter. Overboard? Hell yes but not cowardly.

If he wanted to stick up for his goalie then drop the gloves...cowardly is blindsiding a guy with a cross check to the head BEFORE dropping them.

I guess he didn't want to fight when the other guy had a chance to defend himself...it was a sucker punch with a stick.

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I'm sure he thought he might have to fight someone...not have a stick smashed into his head followed by several punches to his face when he's already down and defenceless.

Even the most hardcore fight lovers agree that once a guy is down you stop throwing...He was done after the cross check.

I also think that the offender would have just jumped someone else if it wasn't him...Brantford had already had several players tossed from the game for trying to start fights.

If he wanted to stick up for his goalie then drop the gloves...cowardly is blindsiding a guy with a cross check to the head BEFORE dropping them.

I guess he didn't want to fight when the other guy had a chance to defend himself...it was a sucker punch with a stick.

Ya i agree, like i said, i think he went too far. I think if he comes in and fights right away it's different. But when the cross check gets him on the ground and he keeps attacking it's too much

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Kid started it. Other kid took it WAY too far. Still don't think he should be criminally charged. Just banned from the league or something equally serious but not criminal.

I just think it's a slippery slope to press charges on a hockey fight.

Edited by Ally

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Kid started it. Other kid took it WAY too far. Still don't think he should be criminally charged. Just banned from the league or something equally serious but not criminal.

I just think it's a slippery slope to press charges on a hockey fight.

I agree pressing charges for a hockey fight is a slippery sloap. But this wasnt a hockey fight. A hockey fight is two guys willingly squaring off and going at it and stopping if one is defenseless. This was one kid grabbing another kid off the ice who had no intention of fighting and just laying into him with sucker punches like a punk. The kid goes down and the punk continues to lay punches into him. That is not a fight. Its one kid throwing a hissy fit and assaulting another. So what that the kid sprayed the goalie. The goalie isnt going to die. It barely effects a goalie. Laying into a kid when hes not looking and while hes on the ice can cause serious harm though. There is to much of this junk in youth hockey. Its going to take a couple punks getting charged to stop it. I dont like the idea of it but if it cleans up youth hockey then Im all for it.

-I'd like to state its much more "cowardly" to snow a goalie in a blowout win than to stick up for your goalie in that matter. Overboard? Hell yes but not cowardly.

Sucker punching someone and then continuing while they are down and defenseless is the definition of cowardly.

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This was a garbage fight but in my opinion the refs are the biggest issue. No 17 year old kid with that much adrenaline is counting how many punches he's thrown or looking to see if the other kid is trying to hit back. He's landing as many as he can and the refs job is to protect them and they failed.

All I'm saying is that if this kid gets convicted then you've set a precedent and there's nothing to stop people from pressing charges every time they lose a fight or are the victim of anything on the ice where there was a clear intent to injure.

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It doesn't depend on what the ref did or didn't. I'm preparing for my final law-exams in Germany and so I will try a systematical approach. Looking into German law and decisions it would depend very much if this would be seen as a normal part of the game or normal suspendable behaviour (= no assault) or as way over the top ( =assault). Since laws and judges are different everywhere in the world I don't know how it would be decided in Canada but the solution above from the Bundesgerichtshof ( Germanys highest court) seems very reasonable.

Question is : Is this way over the top or not ? If we would watch a NHL-play here this would be propably a 5 Minute Major, maybe a game-misconduct. But it could be seen as part of the game. (Might be not if a suspension is called.) This is not possible when you take a look at the junior-leagues where the rules against violence are much stricter and the players need more protection. So in this case : He should be charged for assault in my opinion.

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He should know better when it comes to spraying to goalie. The refs should have been on top of that sooner. They took there time breaking that up, shouldn't the refs be on top of that; especially at this level of hockey? There is a lot to view in this video. Motivation of each player, refs paying attention, goalies reaction.

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He may have gone overboard, but where do you draw the line? Do we start pressing charges for people that were boarded, blindsided, etc? There are tons of non-hockey plays that could be thrown into this discussion. Slippery slope it is.

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